Boomers drawn back in - Brian Suiter

Author: Brian Suiter, Director of Leasing and General Manager at The Feil Organization in New Orleans.
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I want to mention some statistics that you may inherently realize, but might not understand the implications of. 79M Baby Boomers. 10,000 people turning 65 everyday for the next 19 years. 80 M “Echo” Boomers, ranging from 16 to 30 years old. The bell curve seems not to apply to the country’s population statistics, with these two groups representing the largest populations. Two of the largest components of the population are at either end of our bell. How does this dynamic shift, one which is unprecedented in modern history, mean for our society and for our cities? When I’m posed with the question of “who wants to have the hassle and inconvenience of living above retail in a pseudo-uburban setting”, my common answer is 1) me and 2) my mother. Although not technically in the Echo population, I commiserate with their living requisites and my mom surely aligns with the wants of Boomers. Access to entertainment. Connection and ease of mass transit. High “walkability” score. Cultural and educational opportunities. Food. Retail. Green lifestyle. Smaller home footprint. The empty nesters are looking at similar attributes in their lifestyle that the younger generations are. As both populations grow and strengthen in their support of the concepts above, these population masses are and will continue to be drawn to an urban lifestyle. Urban mixed use development is at the crossroad of the majority of the population… just don’t tell the Echo’s that they are acting like their parents.

Here are a couple more places for further reading:
GlobeSt.com
National Real Estate Investor

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At The Feil Organization, Brian is responsible for all facets of two new retail developments that encompass 35 acres and 350 thousand square feet of leasable area with budgets that exceed $75 million, in addition to leasing oversight for 400 thousand square feet of retail assets in the southeast. Brian's expertise spans financial and site feasibility analysis; entitlement, permitting and zoning; site design and engineering; and land and air-right sales and acquisitions. You may contact Brian here.